Plenary Insights – February 2021 

Each plenary session, DG Communication provides public opinion data on key topics on the agenda. For the plenary session of February 2021, relevant survey data is available on:

• The state of play of the EU’s COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy: Citizens want sufficient medical supplies available in all EU Member States as the EU’s top priority in the fight against the Coronavirus according to EP’s last special survey on European citizens’ attitudes and opinions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across Europe, public acceptance and demand for a COVID-19 vaccination is rising, marking a turnaround from a broader vaccine scepticism trend in 2020. The most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines are health professionals, doctors, nurses and pharmacists, according to a recent European Commission survey on vaccination.
• Debates on Foreign Affairs with VP/HR Josep Borrell: According to results of the upcoming EP Eurobarometer survey, protection of human rights worldwide is the number one value that the European Parliament should defend as a matter of priority.
• Establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility: In the EP’s last special survey on European citizens’ attitudes and opinions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of respondents (57%) say that they have experienced financial difficulties in their own personal life since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.
• Democratic Scrutiny of Social Media and the Protection of Fundamental Rights: According to a Special Eurobarometer on democracy and elections, almost three quarters (73%) answered they are concerned about disinformation or misinformation online.
• New Circular Economy Action Plan: A special Eurobarometer on Climate change from 2019 found that almost all respondents (93%) have taken at least one personal action that helps fight climate change. The most given answer (75%) was by trying to reduce their waste and regularly separate it for recycling, while 62% say they try to cut down on their consumption of disposable items whenever possible.
• Challenges ahead for women’s rights - more than 25 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: In the next EP Eurobarometer survey, due to be published on Friday this week, 42% of EU citizens (+4 pp since October 2019), see ‘equality between men and women’ as of priority to be defended by the EP.